


Rebecca's Plan (And How it Goes Wrong)

by zoeteniets



Series: Counter-canon [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 14:10:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8627539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoeteniets/pseuds/zoeteniets
Summary: When Bex goes to tell Aaron about the kiss she shared with Robert, his reaction isn't exactly what she expected...





	

All things considered, things hadn’t exactly tuned out the way Bex had planned, or even had hoped for. Here she was, no home, no family, and perhaps most galling of all, no Robert. All that she had worked for in the last few weeks was gone. But Bex wasn’t going to give up that easily. Robert might have convinced himself and everyone around him that Aaron was the right person for him, but Bex knew that there was no way some greasemonkey from a backwards village would ever be able to keep Robert Sugden entertained.

And yes, she knew this was cruel and that by all accounts Aaron was a lovely young man, but right now she had neither the time, reason, nor inclination to be charitable to the man who had singlehandedly undone all her plans.

So, she heads to the pub, and sneaks into the back room.

She only waits a few minutes before the man of the hour shows up.

“You alright?” asks Aaron, “you look a bit…” he hesitates, obviously not wanting to offend her, “do you want something to drink?”

“Oh, no thanks” she says, “I’m just looking for Robert, is he around?”

“He’s not here” says Aaron, folding his arms over his chest, “can I help you with anything?”

Well, it’s now or never. 

“Look,” she starts, “I really don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. But I’ve been thinking, and I know that it wouldn’t be fair of me to leave the village without telling you this. I don’t think I could forgive myself…”

“You’re leaving?” he interrupts.

“That’s not important,” she says, frustrated that Aaron doesn’t seem to realise the seriousness of what she is about to tell him, “a few nights ago, Robert and I were here. We were discussing what to do about Lachlan, but then he suggested that we get a drink. We got to talking about old times, and it was nice, but I realised that he was flirting with me. I tried to stop the conversation, because I didn’t think that it would be fair on you, but that’s when he kissed me. And, it wasn’t just an innocent kiss either. I think he would have tired more if I hadn’t stopped him.”

She watches Aaron’s face fall. The colour drains from his cheeks and his eyes shine a little. She sees a tightness form across his shoulders, and she suddenly wonders whether telling him in private, in a place where there would be no one to defend her, was such a good idea.

“He kissed you?” he grits out through his teeth.

“Aaron, I’m so sorry. Honestly, I wouldn’t have spent so much time here had I known that he still had feelings for me.”

He looks down, utterly crushed, “he’s going to leave me…?” he says in a small, sorry voice.

“No! No, he wouldn’t” says Bex, and she knows it’s the truth, “Robert holds on to people as long as he can use them. I thought I should tell you, so that you have a chance to leave him first. Make him pay for what he did…”

His shoulders are shaking a little. Bex is surprised, she didn’t think that Aaron was the type to cry over a bloke. In all honesty, she thought there would be more rage, more smashed glasses, and plates than what she was getting. She’s a little disappointed to be honest; she was quite looking forward to seeing Rob get punched in the face.

But then she realises. Aaron isn’t crying at all.

He’s laughing at her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry” he says, looking back up and wiping tears of mirth from his face, “I tried to keep this up but I’m such a terrible liar.”

She looks at him in disbelief. She’s just told him that the man he was going to marry has, to all intents cheated on him and might very well still be in love with her, and he’s laughing?

“Oh, you poor silly cow,” he says between giggles, “did you actually think I’d believe that? Robert still in love with you? God, are you blind woman?”

“But the kiss!” she splutters, “he kissed me!”

“You do know that he told me what happened as soon as you were gone right?” he says, an edge of spite creeping into his voice as the laughter dies away, “I came in after you had left and found him all tied up in knots about how guilty he felt, and about how _you_ had kissed him and for a while he let you, but that it was all part of the plan. He feels nothing for you Bex, he told you this, and you’re still throwing yourself at him? Blimey, it would be pathetic if it wasn’t so tragic…”

She gapes at him in utter shock, “he told you?”

“He tells me everything,” he lifts his hand and shows off his ring, “you realise we’re getting married, don’t you?”

She scoffs at him, but he interrupts her before she can say anything, “look I know you two have a long and complicated history. And I know what it’s like to be in love with him, trust me. But while I am _almost_ tempted to feel sorry for you, you have just insulted me, and him, by thinking that I’d believe your lies. You've ended any sympathy I had for you.”

“So, do you know what Rebecca?” he continues, “you can do one.”

She doesn’t argue as he ushers him to the door but she does find it in herself to say, “you’ll regret this.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” he says, one hand on the doorway as he shoves her out of it, “and don’t come near me or my fiancé again.”

And he slams the door in her face.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was fun to write! If you need someone to scream at about Robron you can find me on tumblr as iwillsendapostcard. Stay strong Robronites, you lovely bunch ;)


End file.
